Thermostatic ash tray



Jan. 28, 1941. w AYREs- 2,229,953.

THERMOSTATIC ASH TRAY Filed June 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ,ffy/de af jre TTORNEY Jan. 28, 1941.

11111114 A ux" w. AYRES THERMOSTATIC ASH TRAY Filed June 29, 1936 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Memo/@ffy Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED .STATES PATENT GFFICE 'rnEaMos'rArIc Asn my Waldemar Ayres, New York, N. Y. Appucauon June 29, 193s, serai No. s1,992

8 Claims.

use. These have been made in many designs and' `widely varying constructions, but in these prior constructions the cigarette or other smoking article has been supported upon a stationary support; and this fac't has resulted always in certain inherent disadvantages which have caused great annoyance and even property damage. In particular i't frequently happens that a cigarette laid on the support is forgotten while the smoker is engaged in some other ac'tivity andbefore he returns to pick up the cigarette or to put it out, it -may have burned back for an inch or more with a consequent shifting of its center of gravity toward unburned end. If the cigarette has been left with an' end projecting this shift in its center of gravity may, and frequently does, result in the cigarette toppling off from the support and a burning of the table or rug or other furniture. The property damage inadvertently caused in this way is estimated at several hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Frequently cigarettes are extinguished by the heat absorption of the support. Often such cigarettes are only partly burned up and the remainder is wasted in consequence.

Even 'if the cigarette continues to Iburn and does not burn so :far as to fall off the support, the fumes from the fburning end passing back through theunburned por-tion of the cigarette tend to condense upon the part of the cigarette which is in contact with the relatively cold 4support, and as a consequence when the cigarette is picked up, it is found that the part which has been in contact with the support is soaked and stained with the condensate. The cigarette in this condition is unsightly and distasteful to many persons. so that frequently it is thrown away and the greater part of the cigarette thus wasted. Or, if it is not thrown away. the burning zone creeps ahead along the top side of the cigarette and when smoked often burns across behind that portion in which condensation has occurred. The unburned portion, of course, has not dropped off from the cigarette when the smoker tapped away the ash, and as a consequence when the cigarette burns across behind the unburned zone the latter part is left still burningwithout support and frequently 'drops onto the smokers clothes causing a burn or at best the soiling of clothes with ashes.

Because of these recognized unsatisfactory features of the ordinary ash tray many attempts have tbeen made to design ash trays so as to extinguish the cigarette or other smoking article after it has Iburned for a limited time on the tray. This, however, has not been accepted as a solution, and is found generally unsatisfactory Ibecause the smoker wants "to find his cigarette .lighted and vready for smoking when he picks it up from the tray. It is a source of continual annoyance 'to nd that 'the cigarette has been automatically extinguished and ash trays which cause this annoyance cannot be generally acceptable.

Accordingly, it is anjobject of my invention to provide any ash' tray Which, while allowing .the

smoking article 'to burn freely, will always keep the burning portion of the smoking article over,

the receptacle intended for the ashes and will prevent the burning stub from fallingv off 'the support in any direction vexcept into said recepvvapors and consequent staining of the smoking article.l Y

Another object of my invention is to prevent the extinguishing of the burning in the smoking article until it has burned almost to the end thereof.

With 'these and other objects in view, my invention contemplates an ash tray having a'movable support for feeding the smoking article toward the ash receptacle part of the tray, and especially with means for moving the smoking article on the support in response to an increase of the temperature adjacent the support which results from the 'burning of the article. For this purpose Imay advantageously use the thermal energy developed Iby burning of the article either for controlling the movement of the support or. advantageously, to provide the motive power for driving the support.

The simplest way of accomplishing this is to provide a bi-metalli'c thermostatic element adjacent and slightly beyond and above the support so as to be beside the cigarette and responsive. to its temperature as the burning part approaches the support. Such a thermostat can be connected directly to the 'movable support so support is operated, and the cigarette is moved to keep its burning portion approximately In a constant position over the.ash receptacle.

vIn the accompanying drawings I have shown several preferred embodiments of my invention .and certain modifications thereof. I have chosen A as may be best adapted for the requirements of an'y particular conditions.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view in vertical section of an ash tray with a support embodying my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale showing the movement of a cigar'ette by operaticn of the thermostat and the movable support.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the same device as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a view in plan, partially broken away, of the same device.

Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive show an ash tray with a modified support and thermostatic feeding device.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 7; and Figs. 5 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views taken respectively on lines 5 5 and 'I 'I of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing another modified thermostatic feeding device.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View similar' to Fig. 5 showing still another modification.

Figs. 10 and 11 are views, respectively in section and plan, of another embodiment of my device, the section of Fig. 10 being taken 0n line I0-I0 of Fig. l1.

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing still another embodiment of my invention.

Referring rst to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have shown therein a portion of an ash ray I5 of conventional shape. Instead of the usual semicylindrical depression in the edge for supporting a cigarette directly, I have provided a depressed portion I8 with substantially parallel sides, in which the feeding and supporting device of my invention is engaged frictionally or by any suitable securing means of which screws, spot-welding, snap springs, etc., are examples.

The feeding and supporting device in this case includes a frame II of U-shape, coiled bimetallic thermostatic elements I8 secured at their centers to the sides of the frame I1 above the edge of the ash receptacle I5, and beyond the thermostats I8. and mounted between the sides of the frame I1, conveyor rolls I9, on which a cigarette or other smoking article 20 may rest.

The axles 2| vof the rolls I9 between the rolls themselves and their bearings in the frame I1 serve as sheaves for the frictional engagement of a driving cord 22 which, for example, may be a heavy silk thread or a iinesilk cord. For this purpose the axles 2| are preferably made concave in the area where the driving cord is to encircle them.

'I'he cord 22 is connected at one end to the free end of the thermostat I3 and at its opposite end is connected to a spring 23 which serves to keep the cord under tension and thereby to maintain a frictional engagement with the axle 2I and also to retract the cord/ and the rolls I9 when the thermostat is cooled. The rolls I9 are shown concave in order to hold the smoking article approximately centered on them and positioned laterally with respect to the thermostats. This, however, is not essential especially if the sides of the frame I1 are made sufficiently high to hold the article on the rollers and spaced laterally from the thermostats.

In the operation of this device, the cigarette 20 is placed upon the rolls I9 exactly as it would be placed on any ordinary ash tray, that is to say with the burning portionv 25 projecting over the ash receptacle I5. As the `cigarette burns back in this position the burning portion 25 approaches the thermostatic element I8, and the latter is, therefore, gradually heated by radiation from the burning end of the cigarette. As the thermostat I8 is heated it tends to uncoil and its free end is moved toward thereceptacle I5 pulling with it the driving cord 22. Since the latter is coiled around the axles 2| of the rollers I9, its movement rotates the rollers and thereby feeds the cigarette forward over the rollers until the lburning portion 25 has been moved farther away from the thermostat I8 and the latter, therefore, ceases to increase in temperature. This position will be maintained or even retracted by cooling of the thermostat until the burning of the cigarette has brought its burning end again close to the thermostat I8,.whereupon a further increase in temperature will repeat the operation and the cigarette will be moved again. This continues until the center of gr'avity of the cigarette moves beyond the center of the last' roll I9, at which time the cigarette butt topples into the ash receptacle I5. When this occurs, however, the thermostat I8 will have been already extended to a substantial degree so that its temperature will be considerably higher than in the position shown, for example, in Fig. 2. Consequently, during the4 last movement of the cigarette the burning portion will be farther back y with respect to. the thermostat I8 than when the initial movement ,took place. Thus, as the.

center of gravity of the cigarette moves forward, the length of the cigarette which projects beyond the rollers I9 is shortened; and thus the butt may be supported as long as there is enough left to be comfortably farther it falls into the tray.

The thread 22 in this case is illustrative of any drive transmitting device between the thermostatic element I8 and the rollers I9. Obvious- 1y. chain or a conveyor belt over the rolls and numerous other devices well known in the art for this purpose could be used; but the cord has the great advantage that it is simple, inexpensive and entirely fool-proof. 'I'he conveyor belt shown at' 28 in Fig. 10 has the advantage that it covers the mechanism and the rollsand prevents dirt from collecting between the rolls. The belt is preferably a fabric of ne wire woven or spiral operation of such thermostatic elements is al' ready generally well understood in the art and will need no further discussion here.

The amplitude of the thermostat I8, which in the case of a coiled bimetallic strip is dependent upon the' metals used,'the thickness of each a frictional bar or a gear rack or sprocket,

lill

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metal in the strip and the length of the strip, should, of course, be sumcient to feed a cigarette substantially its full length and of the conveyo'x` into the tray. In practice, however, it may frequently happen that a cigarette after being fed a part of its length may be picked up and smoked, whereupon another cigarette only just lighted may be dropped in its place on the ash tray before the thermostat I9 has had sufficient time to return to its starting position by cooling. For this reason it has been found in practice that the thermostat I8 should be designed with an amplitude sufficient to operate the rollers i9 for feeding a cigarette a distance equal to several times its length.l It has been found in practice that two or three times its length gives an adequate safety factor. This is not diilicuit to accomplish because the load on the rollers is so small and the power of the thermostat may easily be made so large as compared thereto that the diameter of the sheaves on the axles 2| may give a very large ratio of movement of the periphery of the rollers as compared with that of the free end of the thermostat.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have shown a feeding and supporting mechanism designed to move the cigarette step-by-step. In this case the tray Ia is formed with a .receptacle |6a, substantially similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. The frame Ila in this case is made with flared upper edges so that the cigarette or other.

smoking article is supported directly upon the flared sides, and for this reason obviously the lower part of the frame Ila is narrower than is shown in Figs. 1 to 4. Within the frame Ila is a carrier rack |9a which is movable up'and down and forward and back within a range limited by the pin 39 extending laterally from the rack |9al into the slot 3| in the frame |1a The thermostatic element |8a in this case is imounted upon a rocking pivot 33, instead of upon a fixed pivot as in Figs. 1 to 4 and its outer end is anchored at 34. Ihe thermostat is connected through the pivot 33 and the spring arm 35 to the rack |9a which it engages by means of the pins 36 and 31. A cam finger 38 extended from the rear of the spring arm 35 serves to lift the rack |9a when the spring arm 35 snaps forward, and thereby to engage the cigarette 20 upon, and to move it forward with the rack.

The projection 39 on the bottom of the frame l'la serves to restrain the movement of the arm 35 until sufcient force has been accumulated in the thermostat Illa to flex the spring arm 35 and snap it over the projection 39. Thus the movement of the cigarette is step-by-step and the amplitude of each step, which depends upon the height of the projection 39 and the thickness of the spring 35, is regulated so that at each step the cigarette is moved so far that the thermostatic element I8a may cool enough to snap the arm 35 back over the projection 39 before the burning end again approachesfthe thermostat so closely as to operate it again in 'the forward direction.

To facilitate the resetting of the arm 35 it may be made of light easily flexed spring strip with a reinforcing strip enough shorter to clear the projection 39. On the forward stroke the reinforcing strip restrains the flexing of the lighter strip and requires a greater force to jump the projection 39 than will sufllce to reset the device upon cooling. Another device for this same purpose is shown in Fig. 9 where a snap pawl 48 yields freely on the return stroke but holds against the projection 39e on the forward stroke until the arm 35c is flexed enough to lift it over the projection.

Since, in this case the conveyor rack cannot operate a second time until it has been reset by cooling of the thermostat, it is essential that the design should be such as to allow such cooling in every case. In order to avoid having a second cigarette laid with its burning portion next to the thermostat immediately after it has operated upon another cigarette, the thermostat |8a is placed sufiiciently far back relative to the supporting frame Ila and the latter is made sufficiently short so that any cigarette laid upon it normally would project beyond the thermostat and allow it time to cool.

If the support flanges lla and the rack |9a are provided with fine projections tilted forward toward the tray, these provide a ratchet effect on the cigarette itself and the thermostat may then be connected directly to the rack |9a without provision for lifting and lowering the rack. For this purpose I may use a ribbon of fabric similar to a plush or pile fabricbut preferably made of very ne wires.

In Fig. 8, I have shown a device quite similar to that of Figs. 5 to '7. In this case, however, the spring arm '35 does not act directlyon the conveyor rack |9b, but instead an arm. 49 is secured to the pivot 33 and is connected through the link 4| to the conveyor rack I9b. 'Ihe thermostat I 8b in this case is reversed as compared with Fig. 5 so that it operates in the opposite direction.

In the operation of this device, heat from the burning portion of the cigarette tends to uncoil the thermostat |8b. This tendency, however, is at rst restrained by the engagement of the spring arm 35b on the projection 39h until a substantial force has accumulated sufficient to snap the spring 35h over the projection 39h. When this occurs the arm 40, through the link 4|, lifts the rack 9b into engagement with the cigarette 20 and carries it forward a distance sufficient to permit cooling of the thermostat |8b while the cigarette is burning back across the distance of its movement.

In this case, as in the case illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7, the `spring arm 35 is preferably laminated with one relatively light spring extending into engagement with the projection 39 and another reinforcing spring behind the first on the side opposite to the projection 39 when the thermostat is retracted, or a pawl may be used on the end of the spring arm 35 which hinges freely to slide over the projection 39 on the return stroke but engages on the forward stroke, as shown forl example in Fig. 9.

In Fig. 9, I have shown another device similar to those of Figs. 5 and 8. In this case the rack |9c is made with gear teeth on its bottom edge which engage through a gear 44 with the arbor shaft 45. A gear wheel 46 is secured to the pivot 33 and also meshes with pinion 44 on the arbor shaft. The shaft 45 has its end pivot engaged in the arcuate slots 41 and is free to rise or fallin the slots. 'Ihe arm 35e operating over the projection 39e in the bottom of the ash receptacle |5c serves the same purpose and in substantially the same way as the arms 35 and 35h on the projections 39 and 39h in Figs. 5 and 8. y

In the operation of this device the heating of the thermostat builds up a force against the spring arm 35e. When this is sufficient to permit 0 type, shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive.

#case a gear train is used instead of the driving transmitted through the arbor shaft to the rack |9c and the cigarette 20 is, therefore, moved forward to the end of the thermostat stroke. At the end of the stroke the arbor'shaft 45 and the rack |9c drop again to the bottom of the slot 41,

the cigarette is released, and upon cooling ofA the thermostat |8c the rack |9c is returned to its rst position.

In Figs. 10 and 11, I have shown another embodiment of my invention combining certain features of both the continuous drive type, shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, and the step-by-step cord 22, a gear 50 meshing withthe gear 5| on the roll |9d which in turn drives the gear 52 on the other roll |941 through an intermediate gear 5 sa. The thermostat lad 1n this case is fixed at 4Q' tion of the cigarette either when first laid down the pivot 33d and its free end is bent over as `shown at 54 to form a spring pawl engaging the teeth of the gear 50.

As thus far described, this device would operate in precisely the same way as that described in Figs. 1 to 4, the thermostat |8d simply operating through the pawl 54 and the gear chain 50, 5|, 52, 53 instead of through the cord 22. In the case illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, however, I have provided a detent pawl 55 which may, for example, be simply a spring strip operating against the teeth of the gear wheel 50 to prevent return movement. This has the advantage that if when the thermostat is hot the burning poror by reason of operation of the conveyor rolls |901 should be extended beyond the position adjacent the thermostat |841, the latter could cool without moving the burning portion back closer to itself and thus an increased cooling period would be allowed, as compared with the construca tion of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. During this cooling period the pawl 54 would move back over the teeth of the gear whel`5ll, and thus a substantial resetting of the thermostat would occur. With this arrangement a lesser factor of safety is required'in determining the amplitude of maximum operation.

The device shown in Fig. 12 is a step-by-step ratchet device similar in the principle of its operation to the devices shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive, but with the advantage as compared with -those figures that it is possible for the ratchet to operate several steps forward before resetting.

In the construction shown in Fig. 12, the end of the thermostat I8e is provided with a ratchet 4pawl 54e which engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel 60 on the end of the shaft 2|e of the conveyor roll |9e. The shaft 2|e of the other conveyor roll is positioned in a slot 6I so that it is permitted a slight vertical movement. Between and slightly below the center .of the rolls |9e is positioned a friction roll 63 mounted with its pivots in horizontal slots so that it in part fsupports the weight of one roll |9e and is crowded thereby into frictional engagement with the other roll as well so as to transmit rotary motion from one to the other.

In the operationv of this device the heating of In this the thermostat |8e pulls the pawl 54e against the teeth of the ratchet wheel 60 until it has gathered sufficient force to Ymove a tooth past the detent pawl 55e. When this occurs the rolls |9e are rotated through an arc sufiicient to move the cigarette beyond thethermostat |8e whereby to permit cooling of the thermostat and resetting of the pawl 54e to another tooth of the ratchet 60. If, however, for any reason resetting should not occur, the pawl 54e remains in engagement with the ratchet and is capable .of movingy another or several teeth farther before resetting is necessary.

In the use of this device the cigarette is laid l on the strip 65 exactly as it would be laid in the depression of any ordinary ash tray. Its inner end extends over the ash receptacle I5! and its burning end will be beyond the thermostatic element 65. However, as the cigarette burns the burning zone will approach the thermostatic element and as the latter becomes heated it will curl upward away from the part |6f. Eventually it reaches the critical angle at which the cigarette slides down until its end contacts the slanting face of the abutment 61. At this point it is stopped and, the heating of the thermostatic strip 65 being greatly reduced, the latter begins to fall back toward the horizontal position.

The abutment 61 is preferably made of a ceramic material, e. g., lava, or other material having low heat conductivity so that it will not extinguish the burning of the cigarette. However, even where the abutment 61 is made of metal this will not/ordinarily occur because of the insulating cushion of ash which in almost all cases will cover the burning end and because due to the friction of the cigarettev n sliding down the strip 65 the latter contacts only gently with the abutment 61 and is not pressed against it.

The bending of the strip 65 serves the additional function of breaking of! any large body of adhering ash from the end of the cigarette which might otherwise prevent the cigarette from dropping to the advanced position.

As will be clear from what has been said above, there would be an advantage in the combination as shown even without the abutment 61 but in that case the cigarette would burn back only once to the thermostat whereupon it would be turned into the receptacle l5! and thereafter would burn itself out in the inclined position.

I have-shown and described above the sevf eral widely varied designs in order to illustrate tational direction whereby to frictionally engage said axle to rotate it when said thread is moved. thermostatic means responsive to temperatures near the tray end of said support connected to one end of said thread so as to pull it in response to a rise of temperature and thereby to rotate the roller to feed toward the tray an article supported thereon, and a spring for holdu restraining movement of the train until a submgsaid thread in driving engagement with the axles.

2. AThe combination in an ash tray of rollers adapted to support a smoking article on their periphery in approximately horizontal position, means secured to the tray for pivotally mounting the rollers, thermostatic motor means close to but sulszstanti'allybeyond the upper part of the roller nearest the center of the tray, and means connecting the rollers to the thermostatic motor means for rotating the rollers sc that their uppermost surfaceson which the article rests move toward the central part of the tray by operation 'of the thermostatic `motor means responsive to a temperature increase.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2 which further includes means adapted to restrain the operation of the device for feeding of the smoking article until sumcient force has accumulated to produce a movement adapted to allow recovery of the thermostatic motor means before it is again subjected to heating whereby to produce a reciprocating action of the thermostatic m'otor means and a step-by-step feeding of the smoking article.

4. The -combination as defined in claim 2 in which the means connecting the rollers vto the thermostatic motor means is a ratchet device having a spring detent adapted to restrain movement of the device until a sufilcient temperature increase of the thermostatic motor means has occurred to move the 4device at least one full tooth of the ratchet, and the ratio of the ratchet teeth to the roller circumference is such that the approximately equal size and number of teeth4 connected to said rollers, a thermostat adjacent the upper part of the end roller nearest the receptacle, pawl means connected to said thermostat and engaging one of the gears of said train whereby to drive said gear with a ratchet action when the thermostat 'is heated, and a detent engaging one of the gears of said train for stantial force has accumulated in the thermostat by heating thereof, whereby to give the train a step-by-step movement, and adapted to restrain with a greater force any tendency to movement in the opposite direction.

6. A thermostatic ash tray which comprises a receptacle for ashes, a conveyor means for a smoking article with a burning end, said means being movable'to convey said article toward said receptacle in a direction approximately horizontal, a thermostat adjacent an end of said conveyor means and over the receptacle, means connecting said thermostat to said conveyor for moving the article in a direction toward the thermostat, ratchet means for preventing the conveyor from moving the article in the backward direction, and means for restraining the movement of said conveyor means until a sufficient force has been stored in the thermostat by increase of temperature whereby to give the conveyor a full step of a step-by-step movement, the operation at each step being adapted to effect separation between the burning portion of the article and the thermostat suicient to permit cooling and retraction thereof to reset the ratchet means.

'1. A thermostatic ash tray as defined in claim 6 in which the thermostat and ratchet have an operating range of several steps whereby the device may continue to operate normally if a smoking article should be placed with its burning end close to the thermostat after a step movement and before a suicient cooling period to reset the ratchet.

8. A thermostatic ash tray as dened in claim 6 in which -the conveyor means includes a pair of support members having supporting surfaces thereof inclined with respect to one another so that a smoking article thereon will be held by gravity in contact with both, and the ratchet means comprises fine forwardly inclined projections on each of said surfaces, whereby the smoking article may slide readily thereover in one direction but is engaged by said projections when moved in the opposite direction and one of said support members is reciprocable relative to the other, and connected directly to the thermostat to move forward and back upon heating and cooling of the thermostat.

WALDEMAR AYRES.

l CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,229,955. January 28., 19in.

-wALDmR AYRES.

It is hereby certifie@` tht error appears in the printed specification- 01E* the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Pagen, second lcolu-mn, linelh, beginning with the words "In the use" strike out all toa'n'dvincluding thel word and period 'ipositiont '1n une 55; andthat the said Letters Patent should be reed with this correction therein that the A--seune may conform to the record 'of the cas'e in the Patent Office.

- .signed gna sealed this 27th aay 'of may, A'. D. 19m.

Henry Van Arsdale, j (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

